


Ghosts

by Error403HRD



Series: Torturing my characters [23]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, linked universe (fandom)
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Child Death, Death, Dialogue Light, Gen, I wrote this instead of doing school work, Mild Gore, Multiple Endings, Oops, Poor Wind, Sorry Not Sorry, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Trauma, What Have I Done, Wind (Linked Universe)-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-17 06:14:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28720275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Error403HRD/pseuds/Error403HRD
Summary: Wind hates the ability Oshus granted him.Too bad heroes aren't immortal.(CW: Lots of death, mentions of blood, and mentions of trauma.)
Relationships: Four & Hyrule & Legend & Sky & Time & Twilight & Warriors & Wild & Wind (Linked Universe), Hyrule & Wind (Linked Universe), Legend & Wind (Linked Universe), Time & Wind (Linked Universe), Wild & Wind (Linked Universe)
Series: Torturing my characters [23]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2105427
Comments: 11
Kudos: 60





	Ghosts

Wind fought not to tremble as their voices haunted him.

_"My poor nephew, you've been through too much."_

_"Papa, why doesn't Link remember us?"_

_"Oh Vio...stuck with them 'til the end didn't you..."_

_"Captain's working himself too hard again."_

Wind hated it. He did his best to avoid looking at them, managing to play it off as him looking into space the few times he was caught.

It hurt, hearing Legend's uncle try to comfort or scold him.

It hurt, hearing Wild's sister cry because he didn't remember.

It hurt seeing Four's friend try to crack jokes, only to realize he was dead.

It hurt to see the many dead soldiers trying to get their captain to rest.

He hated it so much.

But he wouldn't tell. The stupid Ocean King's blessing wasn't something he could tell others about. He didn't want to know what guilt and sadness he'd bring by stating it.

It hurt to see Wild's sister with her face blown to bits.

It hurt to see Wild's father with a hole in his stomach.

It hurt to see the soldiers who'd died in various horrific ways.

He was glad for those who died in their sleep or from illness, because at least then he wasn't forced to see a living corpse.

He should've expected the surprise when he didn't even recoil at the sight of a corpse. Warriors blamed himself, of course, and Wind could only reassure him otherwise with no evidence to prove it.

Compared to seeing Wild's sister every day, a corpse with a rotten smell and missing arm was nothing.

Soon, the event was mostly out of their minds.

Then Hyrule was killed.

Their _medic_ of all people, was killed.

It was a huge blow.

They could die.

They didn't realize that they could die on this journey.

Hylia wasn't going to protect them.

Hyrule's body would be stuck in Legend's world, forgotten. They buried him, planting a Hyrule Herb where his body lay and smelting together a metal tombstone from Wild's damaged weapons.

_Link, Hero of Hyrule_

_A Traveler, an amazing friend, great medic, and grievous loss. Rest in peace, so you may explore the afterlife without the danger you're used to._

And Wind could still see him. Even with a hole through his heart and various cuts and bruises littering his body, he was Hyrule.

Hyrule hadn't moved on, he couldn't, not when their mission wasn't finished.

And suddenly, things got Harder.

Legend shut down near completely, the only one he could handle being around for long periods of time was Warriors, and even then, he couldn't enjoy their friendly ribbing any more.

Morale was at an all time low, even as Sky and Four did their best to help.

And Hyrule was still there, and even though Wind didn't talk to him _a lot,_ that didn't mean that he didn't occasionally look over to start a conversation or crack a joke.

It was getting harder for him to hide his ability, from the ghosts at least. The group still had their lapses, especially Legend, so it was understandable. But Hyrule wasn't stupid, and with Wind knowing his exact location every single time he made a slip, Hyrule figured it out pretty quickly.

_"You can see me, can't you, Sailor?"_

It came when he was on watch.

He couldn't ignore it. The voice was too hopeful. Hyrule was his brother, he couldn't ignore him.

So he answered.

The ghosts knew.

They talked to him more.

He got even more used to seeing bloodied and mangled corpses.

Life continued on, mostly as normal, but Wild's sister latched on to him, and Wild's father seemed to do the same.

Without their medic, they had to be much more careful. Wind and Wild didn't do dangerous stunts any more, Four and Twilight wandered off way less, Warriors went easier on their spars, and Time was much more strict about hiding wounds, because even the tiniest scratch could get infected and kill them.

Wild had transitioned to their medic, he wasn't as good as Hyrule, but he had a lot of supplies and knew how to use them; he took every opportunity in his Hyrule to collect fairies to create tonics with.

They were more on edge, they were more cautious in fights. They usually finished sooner, thanks to Four switching to his more underhanded fighting style and the group becoming more open to creativity, utilizing every item in their arsenal if necessary.

The next to fall was Twilight.

They were overrun, and retreat was probably the best option, considering there were thirty or so infected monsters attacking them, but they couldn't leave. Every path was blocked out, and it wasn't until Time and Warriors took down the last one blocking their escape that they noticed their group of eight was down one more.

It was too late. A spear had gone straight through his stomach and had been pulled out. He had been gone for a while. All Wild could do was have his dead body stitch itself back together.

They buried their rancher in a scenic place near Hateno. The closest they could get to Ordon in Wild's world. Wild planted Amoranth and Four made another tombstone.

_Link, Hero of Twilight_

_A sturdy Rancher, always steadfast and helpful, a beloved mentor, mentee, hero, and brother. May he rest in peace._

Wild was inconsolable, and Time wasn't much better. Warriors did his best to pick up the slack, but their morale plummeted. Two great team members, _brothers,_ down for the count. Legend was still distant, but he too did his best to help.

He knew how it felt to have a mentee ripped from you.

Hyrule told Twilight that Wind could see them.

Of course, Twilight asked him to stick by Wild and Time.

Wind obliged, not one to let a request of the dead go unanswered. Rarely did he reject a ghost, it was too hard to say no when they clearly needed to move on.

So he did his best to not be a nuisance, he stuck by Time and Wild, doing his utmost to distract them from the missing people in their midst. He still hung out with Wild, if he did so more often no one said anything, and he continued to regale Time with stories of his time and his journey. 

Then, Warriors was down. 

Redead combined with infected Skulltulas, a horrifying combo. They had tried to retreat, find a Wallmaster so they could leave, but it wasn't easy when they were dropped in the middle of the room, not knowing which way was the exit and which way would bring them further into doom.

By the time Sky managed to lure a Wallmaster, Warriors was already dead, and Time had killed the Skulltula that did it. Legend and Wild grabbed Warriors's body before it could hit the ground. So at least their Captain could retain some dignity.

They buried him near Castletown, Wild planted a Mighty Thistle.

_Link, Hero of Warriors_

_A great Captain, hero, friend, brother, and soldier. Rest in peace and enjoy what you couldn't in life._

Legend attached himself to Four for reasons he refused to say. The group was down. Time felt guilty, responsible for the death of their Captain. Wind couldn't say he wasn't devastated. Seeing his brother's corpse in a ghostly form did little to comfort him, no matter how hard he tried.

Warriors was often around Wind, and Wind couldn't bear telling him that seeing his corpse was making it worse, so he didn't. He suffered in silence, having nightmares of Warriors body hung from a Skulltula's mouth. Dangling with no dignity, no life, until it fell to the floor.

It was horrible.

Wind made himself useful by trying to navigate worlds they had only seen little pieces of. Attempting to navigate Warriors's, Twilight's, or Hyrule's Hyrule was horrible, and for different reasons. Warriors had a map of his Hyrule, but it was chaotic and only little chunks were filled in, conveniently not mentioning any landmarks. Wind was quick to scrap that map and instead default to the one he'd made when he'd first gotten sucked into Warriors's Hyrule. It wasn't great and definitely needed work, considering how little of the map he'd actually filled in, but it was better than whatever the hell Warriors had on him.

Twilight's Hyrule was rather large (a thought that made him shudder at the possibility of Wild's death) and he didn't have an undamaged map, so Wind relied on the little bits they'd seen of his world and the bits of the map Twilight had on him, trying his best to draw his own map from cities and landmarks. It was hard, but he'd managed to make a map of the ocean, so having this many landmarks made the task a little easier, but Wind did have to wonder how Twilight navigated this place with the scraps he had. Then again, Twilight didn't seem to leave Ordon unless he was on an adventure...

Hyrule's Hyrule was a nightmare. There were very few towns, and they were all tiny, he had no map already on him, and any shops were literally just holes in the rocky mountains or hills. The one time they landed in the Lost Woods without Hyrule was horrible, they didn't even manage to leave until they were transported to a different Hyrule. That's not even mentioning the time they landed in a maze on an island. Wind did his best, but really the map was practically the ravings of a madman that only Wind could understand.

It was no wonder that their shitty attempt at navigating Warriors's map ended up killing Sky. 

Wind's map was still incomplete, so he occasionally referenced Warriors's map. What he didn't account for was that Warriors's Hyrule had about a dozen or so Monster Hotspots. And they ran right into one. Swaths of infected bokoblins ran at them, infected Lizalfos and Poes. It was horrible.

Wild used his stasis and magnesis runes to the limits, occasionally even bombs when he knew there weren't any allies nearby. Time pulled out his Fierce Deity's mask at one point. Wind abused his Wind Waker, utilizing its' tornadoes to their fullest potential. Legend used every item at his disposal, especially the rods and power items. Four used every tactic and item he had: swords, bow, hammer, fire rod, even the fucking BowWow and Cane of Pacci. Sky shot beams from the Master Sword, used his whip, Beetle, Scattershot, even his stupid ass Gust Bellows, and it still wasn't enough.

It wasn't until they made it out, far enough away from the exit so the monsters wouldn't give chase, and had done a headcount, that they realized Sky was missing.

Wind jumped back into the fray without hesitation, using the Phantom Sword's ability to stop time for the first time in ages. He was back with Sky's body before a single person managed to get to the entrance. They looked at him with confusion, but quickly put it aside in favor of having Wild stitch up Sky's body and finding a place to bury him.

Near the Deku Tree seemed like a good idea. They picked a spot in Faron Woods, which was near the place they had been anyway, and once more mourned a lost brother, a Swift Violet planted on his grave.

_Link, Hero of the Skies_

_A beloved friend, brother, and boyfriend. We hope he can rest in peace, even without his Sun._

Wind's nightmares were getting worse, his brothers' deaths playing in his mind, back to back, their corpses haunting him, but he had to deal with it. He couldn't push their ghosts away, not when the only reason they were stuck there was because they hadn't moved on.

Fi chose Legend to wield her until the adventure's end, because she was most powerful in his time.

It still wasn't enough to save Time from his world. Wind's beloved islands killed the very hero they celebrated.

He should've known the Helmaroc King would try this shit again.

It was stupid, they had just landed, and there was the giant ass bird, stealing Time away. They gave chase, obviously, but they were on an island, so Wind transported them using his Wind Waker, not caring for the nauseous looks he got, and charged in, ready to tear the Helmaroc King a new one.

Only to stop dead in his tracks when he saw Time being mauled.

Time's masks were strewn about the floor as he struggled to grab his sword, there was blood everywhere, and Wind wouldn't be forgetting that scene for a long time. He ran in, using the Skull Hammer to bash the stupid bird's helm in, and fought this damn bird one more time, making sure he killed the bastard for good, because apparently having mercy lead to this.

When he heard Wild's strangled sob, he knew it was all his fault.

If he had just killed the stupid bird for good, maybe this wouldn't have happened. But no, he let it free, because he thought it was being controlled, silly him, thinking that the bird was peaceful because it didn't leave its' home after he beat the shit out of it. And now it was coming back to bite him.

_"It isn't your fault Sailor."_

"Like hell it isn't my fault." Wind muttered, wanting to scream, but knowing he couldn't give away his secret. At this point, he didn't want to know how they'd react.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, it was Legend, who'd finally decided to take up the leader role because he was the oldest and had the most experienced, now that Time was gone.

"Come on Sailor, we...need to keep going."

Wind didn't let the tears fall, not until that night, where he was safely wrapped in a blanket.

It hurt, seeing his hero mauled right before his eyes, because of a lack of foresight on his behalf.

The girls only screamed, and they didn't really fight back, barring Tetra, but she was released because of her loyal crew and their cannons. Time was too high up by the time they caught their bearings, and he fought hard against the strong grip of the Helmaroc King. Wind knew why it happened, but he hated it, because if he'd just killed the stupid Helmaroc King, maybe Time wouldn't have died, maybe Time could've returned to Malon.

Oh dear Hylia, _Malon._

How were they going to explain this to Malon? They hadn't run into any cities that their friends' families frequented, but it fell upon them to inform them that their hero had died.

How were they going to explain this to the people of Ordon? To the soldiers and royalty of Hyrule? To _Sun?_

There was no equivalent to Lon Lon Ranch in Wind's Hyrule, and sand made placing a tombstone rather hard, so they settled for a standard Sea Funeral on the outskirts of Outset Island. It was sad, seeing the casket drift away at sea, decorated with Blue Nightshade. Aryll did her best to cheer them up, and Grandma was hospitable and kind, but they were down five members, and Wind could see their deaths vividly.

He could see Hyrule being stabbed through the heart. He could see Twilight being stabbed through the stomach. He could see Warriors's dead body hanging by a Skulltula's mouth. He could see Sky being stabbed and beaten to death by swarms of monsters. He could see Time being mauled alive by the Helmaroc King.

It wasn't long before they left Outset, the little time he spent at home making him wish they could just stay. The peaceful island would be perfect for them to relax, if their leader hadn't just been murdered.

Their morale once more at an all time low, it wasn't exactly a surprise that one of them died. It was a surprise that it was Wild. Wind expected it to be him or Four. Legend was too experienced to be caught so off guard, and Wild had died and come back to life so many times that he seemed immortal.

They were in Twilight's world, following Wind's near-perfect map, and they were jumped. It was mostly unexpected because they were in the sky, but the aeralfos and walltulas didn't seem to care about that.

They weren't horribly hard to defeat, just time consuming. It was the unseen Imp Poe that killed Wild. Chopping his head off once, then, when Wild revived, it did it again, and again, and again, until every single fairy was used up and Wild stayed dead.

The rest of the group was distracted by the walltulas and aeralfos, so they didn't notice that Wild was being attacked until the last moment. When they finally noticed the beheaded Wild, Legend grabbed his body and head and they raced out, knowing that whatever killed Wild wasn't something they were going to be able to defeat. Wind used his Wind Waker for the entirely intended purpose of getting them to the ground without falling to their death.

They buried Wild near the Great Hylia Bridge, too far from Ordon village to do so there.

_Link, Hero of the Wilds_

_A great Cook, amazing brother, friend, and mentee. Rest in peace, after all these years, you can finally be with your family again._

Wind should've been happy when Wild finally remembered his sister and father, his memories returning the moment he officially died.

He should've been happy to see Wild embrace his family, new and old.

But all he could see was himself, alone amongst a sea of dead bodies. His brothers, Tetra, the crew, Aryll, his grandma, Linebeck, Medli, Quill...everyone he knew and loved.

Seeing their ghostly corpses was killing him, but he refused to say anything, because these were his brothers and they deserved some happiness while they were stuck here. If that meant talking to Wind and asking him to do things, then fuck it, he could take it. They'd only be there until the mission was done anyway.

So he sucked it up and didn't say anything, he stuck close to Legend and Four, and they stuck close to him, their small group didn't allow for luxuries like a full night's sleep. Four took first watch, Legend took second, and Wind took third. Then they'd be off again, quiet, very little conversation, because they'd rather not draw unwanted attention. 

Then they found themselves being chased by a group of infected in Four's world, too big for them to take on, so they ran. Four spotted a temple and guided them to it, confident that he could find something to block the doors with once they got inside. 

It was only once they were inside did Legend release the swears he was obviously thinking the entire time. He went quiet after a moment, dread upon his face as Four and Wind blocked the doors with whatever they could move.

"Four...what is this place?" Four didn't even pause in his work blocking the door, 

"The Palace of the Four Sword, it's got some weird memories for me."

Legend immediately moved to Wind's side, helping them, but clearly avoiding Four. It wasn't unusual for him to do this, but it was the first time he'd been so obvious about it. Four simply gave a sigh and led them further into the palace once the banging on the door stopped. He looked happy, before something caught his eye, deep within the palace.

"That's impossible."

Legend gripped Wind's arm, pulling him back and glaring him into silence as Four walked towards a shattered mirror. Perplexed and entranced.

Suddenly, Four started putting the pieces back into place and Wind got a foreboding feeling. Legend was still pulling him away from Four. They were near the doors, able to make a quick escape if need be.

Four placed the last shard in and something happened. He staggered, a dark energy leaving the mirror, his body consumed by it. It was only when Four split into four near identical versions of himself that Legend broke into a run, gripping WInd's arm as Four charged after him. The banging on the door had returned while Four gave them a tour, and the door burst open, allowing a horde of monsters inside the palace.

They didn't bother fighting, they only ran, avoiding weapons that threatened to impale them. The moment they walked out the doors, a magical film seemed to cover the palace, a barrier that kept the monsters, and Four, in.

They didn't stop running until Wind staggered and fell. It had started raining sometime after they fled. 

"What-"

Legend shook his head, tears in his eyes as he looked at their pitiful forms, exhausted, soaked, and covered in mud.

"I...I knew it was coming-I wasn't sure it was Four, not until then, but I had to kill them, I had to go back in there and kill every single one-I-" Wind finally realized that he couldn't see Four's ghost, nor that of the boy who hovered around him since the day they met.

Four wasn't dead.

Four was alive, stuck in a hellhole, and Legend would have to kill him. Wind tried to control his tears, but he didn't refrain from burying his face in Legend's chest. He spoke, trying to keep his mind off the fact that _Four was actually gone-he'd never see Four again-_

"What...What was that barrier?" Legend shook his head, returning Wind's hug and staring at nothing as he rubbed circles in his back, trying to calm both of them down,

"Probably the automatic defense system. Important temples usually have a barrier that protects it from...."

Wind nodded, getting the gist, and they stayed like that for a while, sitting in the rain, soaked from head to toe and absolutely drenched in mud.

It was the first night they fell asleep without a watch since this whole mess started.

Legend stabbed a shield in the ground the next morning.

_Link, Hero of the Four Sword, Hero of the Minish_

_A great Smithy, and amazing friend, one of the final three. Cursed to eternal life, we hope he may one day rest in peace._

Legend and Wind clung to each other. Hoping the other would manage to stay alive.

Wind's maps were all soaked, but still usable. Except for Hyrule's. It was barely coherent in the first place, much less when it was soaked and smudged. Wind had to abandon that map and work on what little they had memorized.

It was no wonder they were caught off guard. Hyrule's world was a mess. There was practically no safety and it was impossible to stay on edge at all times. Hyrule grew up here, he learned how to survive, they didn't.

He didn't know how, but they got trapped in a cave, and the exit was blocked by a group of red dairas, and behind them was a tall wall, seemingly unclimbable. Wind did his best to dodge the axes and Legend drew Fi and prepared to fight to the death. Wind drew a bow to keep his distance as Legend shot beams from the Master Sword, occasionally causing an earthquake or explosion, but not often, as he didn't want to risk a cave in while he and Wind were stuck. Occasionally, Wind would see a good enough opening for him to momentarily freeze time and do his part in fighting them.

Eventually, after Legend had used up his fairy, the group was cleared out. Legend was bleeding heavily. He staggered, falling to the floor. Wind raced to catch him, cursing himself for not being more useful as Legend coughed up blood. Various cuts and gashes littered his body, and Wind desperately dug through their bags, looking for something, anything, that could help.

It was hopeless, most of their medical supplies was locked in Wild's Sheikah Slate, unable to be accessed by him, because he wasn't a hero, he was just a kid that got too in over his head while trying to save his sister. Legend had used all his fairies, and Wind didn't have any of his own. Their medical supplies was used up last night, healing wounds they'd gotten from a few aggressive Moblins. They'd been headed to a town so they could resupply, but without a map, they'd gotten lost.

Legend put a hand on his, it was covered in blood and shaking. Legend gave him a shaky smile,

"You did good...Sailor...." And he went limp, his eyes vacant. And Wind sobbed uncontrollably. On his knees and over his brother's dead body, in a cave.

_"Sailor, calm down."_

Sky's voice only made him cry harder. Legend was given the usual ghost run down and he turned to Wind after hugging his uncle.

_"Sailor, it's alright-"_

"No it's not! Every time I see any of you, all I can see are corpses! Oshus cursed me with this worthless ability, not even having the mercy to show me peaceful souls! Instead, all I get to see are dead bodies, I get to see souls exactly how they looked when they died! I have to see Hyrule and Twilight with holes in their bodies, I have to see a decapitated Wild, I have to see his sister with a hole in her face, I have to see all the horrible ways those soldiers died, I have to see Warriors with half his face eaten off! I have to see all of it and I've been trying to be nice, I've been trying to take it, but every time I see you the nightmares only get worse and I hate this so fucking much! I've been trying to take it but I just can't anymore."

The tears slid down his face as he curled up on the floor, refusing to look at the ghosts. Fi glowed and he reluctantly took her and her sheath from Legend's cold body. He tied the sheath to his back, the Phantom Sword at his side, and he sat there for a moment, silent.

_"You....don't see us as we normally are?"_ Wild's sister's voice broke through the tense silence, and Wind shook his head.

"I'm alive, I'm not meant to see ghosts at all. It's the universe's way of balancing itself out, I guess. Can't see ghosts if I refuse to even look at them."

_"So...that's why..."_ Warriors sounded sick, and Wind shrugged, finally standing up and collecting their bags, "I'm used to it, Cap. If I'm being honest, I've seen worse than all of you, it's just...getting to me, I guess." Wind put on his power bracelets and grabbed Legend's body. The walk out of the cave was unusually silent. As was the burial. Legend let Wind use one of his back up shields as a tombstone, and Wind stared at it for a moment before resuming his journey. Holding back tears because _he needed to finish this._

_Link, Hero of Legend_

_The Veteran of the team, one of the final two remaining. He was a great leader despite his sour mood, and here's to hoping he may eventually catch a break._

Wind followed Hyrule's directions and eventually made it to Saria. The group was still silent, and Wind knew it was only once he was asleep that they spoke.

The following morning, the ghosts steered clear of his line of sight, their voices far more pleasant than their looks. He could hear jokes and barbs from behind him, the occasional direction from Hyrule, and sometimes an unharmed hand pointing in a direction.

Eventually, he made it to a palace.

It wasn't infested with monsters, like it should be. It was empty. Hyrule told him to be on his toes.

Hyrule was right.

Upon reaching the last room, a shadow came to life.

Dark Link.

**Ending 1**

Dark was fast, his red eyes haunted Wind every step of the way. He was a perfect copy of Hyrule, he was speedy and strong, faster and stronger than Wind. But Wind was a hero, and he'd beaten mightier foes. Ganon and Bellum were both stronger and faster than Wind, and yet he'd still pulled through. 

Dark attempted to grab the Phantom Sword at his waist, but it gave Wind the perfect opening to stab him through the heart with an enraged Fi. The Master Sword's power was quick to destroy Dark from the inside out. Once Dark was destroyed, Fi flashed happily and was spirited away from his hands. Likely returning to her proper time.

Soon, Wind was in front of Legend's house.

The deed was done. The ghosts were gone. Now Wind was faced with the horrible task of informing their families. Great.

Wind knocked on the door, and Ravio answered, Legend's maimed ghost behind him. Ravio had a ring on his finger, one that matched the ring Legend refused to take off, and Wind swallowed, unsure of how to break it gently,

"He's gone." Ravio froze, his face contorted in shock and soul-crushing heartbreak. Ravio gripped the door,

"Link....not...he's not...not yet, please not now." Ravio broke down into tears and sunk to the floor. Legend's ghost cried for a moment, looking absolutely miserable, before he faded, accepting that Ravio knew and he could move on.

Ravio had proposed the last time Legend had visited, they were set to marry when he returned for good. Wind didn't tell Ravio how he died alone in a cave. He told him that Legend died fighting, protecting him. Wind expected Ravio to yell at him, blame him, but Ravio embraced him and they were in tears for the rest of the night.

Wind spent a week mourning with Ravio, informing Fable on the third day. He returned all of Legend's stuff and even gave Ravio and Fable each a Pirate's Charm. Daphnes had taught Tetra how to make them, and she had made one for all eight of his brothers, just in case.

The next morning, he was in front of Four's forge. To stall for time, he confirmed that the Pirate's Charms did work between timelines, and Ravio told him that it was now or never. He took a breath, cutting off the communication line, and entered, saddened to not see a glimpse of Four's ghost, or even Four's friend.

"Ah, yer one of the laddies traveling with the boys, aren't'ya?" Wind gave a nod and extended his hand to Four's grandfather, finally understanding why he spoke of Four using plurals after the incident in the palace.

"Yes sir...I'm here to tell you that...they didn't make it." The man's face quickly went from jolly to absolutely crushed. He shook his head, not releasing Wind's hand. He looked at Wind, concerned and keeping his tears at bay,

"I...I distinctly remember a group of young men with you. Why did they send ya alone, laddie?" Wind tried to speak, but his throat closed up and he let out a sob instead, falling to the floor. Four's grandfather knelt down with him, hugging him and crying as he accepted that his grandson was gone.

That was how Four's father found them, crying on the floor. Four's grandfather explained the situation, and Four's father quickly joined their little huddle. It wasn't until dinner that Wind explained that Four was trapped inside the Palace of the Four Sword. Split into four people and cursed to become evil forever. Four's father tearily called Four a fool for trying to repair the mirror. Wind returned all of Four's supplies, and once again gave them a Pirate's Charm. Two days later, they informed Dot of the circumstance and her father declared it a day of mourning. Their hero was gone, forced into eternal suffering until Legend killed them. Dot asked if she could do anything, but the magical barrier on the palace wasn't there in Legend's time, so they'd probably have to wait for it to erode away. Which wouldn't happen unless Time lost to Ganon.

That loss accepted bitterly, they prepared a grand funeral for a few days later. All of Castletown was solemn, everyone was wearing black, and many visitors from other towns had attended, including the Minish, who Dot had informed. Dot, Four's father, Four's grandfather, and himself all gave a speech. Wind barely got through his without sobbing and he could tell Four's family was the same.

The next day, a portal appeared, and he said his goodbyes, telling them that they could use the Pirate's Charm if they wanted to speak to him. Four's grandfather gave him one last hug and a comforting squeeze.

He landed in front of the Hateno Tech Lab, and he entered, Wild spoke a lot of Flora, his Zelda, and he knew that every one at the lab was a friend of Wild's. Purah greeted him warmly, Wild's decapitated ghost turned to look at him before fading, trusting that Wind would tell them the truth.

"You're Link's friend! What'cha need?" Wind took a breath, stabilizing himself, he looked at the ground,

"I'm here to tell you that he didn't make it."

"What?" Flora's voice made him flinch, tears welling up against his will, because he wanted this to be easy and he didn't want anyone blaming him more than he himself already did.

"What." Her voice had become angry, and Purah was still in shock, Wind started trembling, balling his hands tightly.

"You're lying!" Wind flinched, tears flowing down his face as he hurried to set the bag down with all Wild's stuff, including the Sheikah Slate. Purah's head snapped to Zelda,

"He's not lying, Zelda! Can't you see, he's in tears, he's leaving us Link's stuff, he's gone Zelda, don't yell at this poor boy, it wasn't his fault!" Zelda glared at him, and responded coldly, why had WIld never mentioned that she got like this? Maybe he didn't know?

"We don't know that. How did he die?" Wind's throat was blocked again and he couldn't speak, but he forced himself to take some air and give the queen a response before she could come to her own conclusions,

"We-w're in Twilight's City ov'the Sky and we-re attacked by aer'lfos 'n wallt'l's, they were distracting us so we wounn't notice the poe's lantern-n-I-imp poes 're invisible to hylians'n-we-we didn't notice that it was attackin'im until all 'is fairies were used up 'nd I-I-" Purah's hand raised to motion for him to stop, and she glared at Zelda,

"See, it wasn't his fault if he couldn't see what was attacking him. He's a child, Zelda, leave him alone." Zelda gave a huff and stormed off, tears in her eyes as a door slammed behind her. Wind trembled and handed Purah a Pirate's Charm, telling her how to use it as soon as his throat opened back up.

The week was tense, Purah finally asked why Wind was alone on the third day, which led to him crying his eyes out again for the rest of the day. When the week was up, Wind had drawn up several maps of his Hyrule and his brothers' Hyrules for Purah's research and was even given a modified Sheikah Slate so he could use the runes and storage space. He thanked her and quickly stored all of his items, except the Wind Waker and Phantom Sword. He was thankful that this new Sheikah Slate looked nothing like Wild's.

Eventually, he left, and stood in front of Lon Lon Ranch.

Dear Hylia, _Malon._

She caught sight of him and grinned, running over, Time's ghost nodded sadly,

"Ah! Wind, come in, the others'll be here soon, right? I was just finishing up the chores-"

"Um, Miss Malon...They...didn't make it..." Malon froze, the bag of seed she was carrying slipping from her hands. She looked at him, tears welling up in her eyes as the realization washed over her. Time let a few tears slip down his cheeks before he disappeared.

"Oh...Oh dear...you're alone. Come on, let's go inside." Trying to keep back his own tears, he followed the woman who'd been like a mother to all of them. Once inside the house, she collapsed onto a chair and started sobbing, Wind couldn't resist joining her.

They stayed like that all night, falling asleep in each other's arms with tear-stained cheeks. The next morning, Malon made breakfast and he helped with the chores. They were silent, Malon occasionally pausing to cry a little bit. Once the chores were done, they talked. Wind shared how Time died and Malon told him that he shouldn't blame himself, before admitting that she'd recently found out that she was expecting and had been so excited to surprise Time.

They made him a memorial and wore all black for the rest of the week, even when they went out to town. They were given sympathetic glances and some of the stalls gave them a discount on whatever they were buying. They made a memorial and Wind suddenly remembered that Time didn't move on, he stayed as the Hero's Shade so he could train Twilight. That thought made him cry even harder.

Near the end of his stay, he gave Malon a Pirate Charm, and returned all of Time's things. She hung the BigGoron Sword on the wall and gave Wind a hug and a kiss on the head before he went through the portal. She'd keep in touch, if only to make sure he was taking care of himself. A plus side of the Pirate's Charm was that they could talk to each person that had one. Malon befriended Aryll, Tetra, Ravio, and Four's grandfather very quickly.

Thanks to his exploits, Tetra, and consequently everyone on the crew and Outset, already knew he'd be home in a month or two, and she was preparing to hold a celebration for him, because she knew he was going to be depressed, and she wanted to keep his mind occupied for at least a little while.

When he appeared before Sun, she was confused, before she quickly placed where she'd seen him before and her harp dropped to the ground, Sky's ghost was crying as it faded away,

"No...please, young hero, please..." Wind shook his head, and Sun sunk to the floor grief and pain flooding her voice. He couldn't keep himself together. Disturbed by her tears, Sun and Sky's loftwings quickly flew over.

"Crimson, Blupee, he's gone! He's not coming back!" Crimson crowed sadly, likely having known since the moment Sky died in Warriors's world. The large bird walked over to Wind and bonked his head, trying to cheer him up.

Clearly, their sobbing had caught some attention, Sun's father came over and caught sight of a young boy crying with his daughter.

It didn't take long for him to get the gist from Sun's sobbed explanations. He embraced both of them and led them inside, preparing a funeral.

The next day, Wind gave them Sky's things, telling them that Fi had brought herself back some time ago. He handed Sun a Pirate's Charm and explained how to use it. On the fourth day, they held the funeral.

It was relatively uneventful, Sun shared stories of Sky through her tears and he did the same. Soon enough, he was headed through another portal. Sun gave him a tight hug and promised to speak with him as often as she could.

Upon exiting the portal, he was greeted by swords from Artemis and Impa respectively, Warriors's ghost nodding behind them. He gave Artemis a bow when the portal closed behind him, the others no where in sight. They were both quick to catch on, especially once they took in his red-rimmed eyes, and Artemis quickly embraced him, tears rolling down her face,

"Oh, Toon, I'm so sorry." Wind cried again, because he'd lost his brothers, and he'd never properly mourned any of them until this trip. There was no time for mourning, not when their lives were on the line. Warriors ruffled his hair as well as he could before he faded away.

Impa and Artemis erected a memorial for Warriors, he was a great captain and his loss was quite the blow. The military were all given a day of mourning, and Impa and Artemis planned a ceremony for the next day.

It wasn't until the fourth day that Wind succinctly explained to them how Warriors died, the gruesome scene still fresh in his memory.

If the information had somehow gotten to the troops and there was a sudden Gibdo and Redead hunt, well, it wasn't brought up in any meetings, and it was helping clear out the remaining monsters, so it was fine.

If said troops had also found Sky's grave, well, they paid their respects and had it declared as a sacred site.

It was on the fifth day when Wind finally returned Warriors's things and given them a Pirate's Charm, they'd immediately recognized the artifact as the thing Aryll had used to communicate with them, and Wind taught them how to use it. Impa hit it off with Four's Father and Malon, and Artmis quite liked Fable and Aryll.

Finally, a portal appeared and Wind said his goodbyes. The two promised to keep in touch and he was gone.

When he exited in Ordon, he was overwhelmed by questions and suspicion. Twilight's ghost gave him a nod and a sad smile.

The few people that recognized him asked him even more questions than the others, and the most he could say was,

"Link's gone...I'm sorry." Twilight nodded once again and faded away, content that his family was informed.

The village was silent, before the first child burst into tears and everyone followed suit. Wind was juggled between so many people and asked so many questions that he simply shut down and curled into a ball on the ground, crying. After that, he came to in the Mayor's house, Ilia looking at him with concern.

"Are you okay now?" Wind gave a shrug and she sighed,

"We're all really sorry for doing that. We were just so confused, since Link was always so strong. We recognized you as part of the group that took him away, and it's been so long that we didn't even consider you might have befriended him. You're the only survivor, aren't you?" Wind nodded, trying to scrub away the tears that he's had enough of at this point. Illia patted him on the back and they cried together.

The village was kinder, and more patient after that. They occasionally asked a question, and he answered. There was a modest funeral held for Twilight on the fifth day, attended by all of the village so they could pay their respects to a boy they all cherished dearly.  
He gave all of Twilight's stuff to the mayor to hand out, and gave Ilia a Pirate's Charm, teaching her how to use it. She got on well with Artemis, Aryll, and Fable.

Two days later, he said his goodbyes to the whole village, and he was back at Outset.

Immediately, he was tackled by Aryll and hugged by his Grandma.

He was so happy to be home, but he was sad that Hyrule didn't have anyone for him to tell. Hyrule would be forgotten. It made him sad.

As promised, Tetra threw a coming home party, and if a large figurine of the group of nine heroes suddenly appeared in his room, well, he'll never admit that he sobbed for a good few hours, thankful and sad at the same time.

**Ending 2**

Dark's red eyes pierced his soul, and Wind readied himself for battle. Dark was fast and he was strong, but so were Ganon and Bellum, and Wind had beat them before.

Trading blows with the shadow was exhausting, Dark was stronger, a perfect copy of Hyrule, but Wind wasn't a hero for nothing. He stopped time for just a moment, just long enough to put on the power bracelets. Wind had the upper hand now, but Dark was clever, far more clever than he was usually given credit for.

He grabbed the Phantom Sword, and there was barely time to blink before Wind's chest was littered with holes and he was falling to the floor. Fi tried to help, but she was stuck inside the sword, only able to watch as her last hero fell to Dark Link.

The last thing Wind saw before he faded was Dark Link's red eyes and sinister smile.

When he awoke, he floated above his dead body, Dark Link staring right at him. 

He was alone, the others had passed on sometime before or during the fight, confident in his abilities.

He was alone, forced to watch as Dark Link mutilated his body, knowing that he was watching, and forced to watch as Dark Link took over Hyrule with no opposition.

He was no hero.

**Author's Note:**

> Once more, I did not set out intending to torture Wind, but I did and now I feel bad. Neither ending is technically true, I just didn't know which ending to go with. Still, this isn't a perfectly nice ending either way, one's just worse than the other.
> 
> Sorry if the deaths got repetitive, I didn't have many ideas in the first place, and really death by combat seemed likely for all of them except Four, who's fate was sealed the moment I started this fic.
> 
> And yes, I named Sun's loftwing Blupee because I loved Blupees and it's the first thing I thought of.
> 
> as always, please recommend any tags I should add, and also ideas for future one-shots.


End file.
